The random rain showers that kept popping up today made it hard to get the clothes dry on the line, but the sun peeked out around noon which allowed a batch of kittens to play outside. Normally I have to sneak up to get pictures of the new wild barn kittens but my brother has been taming this batch and so instead I had to sneak up to take pictures before they spot me otherwise I only get shots of them attacking my shoes and pant legs.
Kitten Wanting Attention
After a stormy and rainy spell, it was nice to see some sun, but course I spent the morning picking up branches the storms brought down and spent the afternoon mowing the lawn. But some people on vacation or had the day off may have had time to enjoy some scenery including waterfalls, like the split of Bad River dropping down at Copper Falls.
Copper Falls on Bad River
Besides the native irises in the water, this planted iris was lucky that it was later in shooting up and missed the deer munching like the other earlier irises which were all nipped off. So there was a little blue waving on flag day.
A Lucky Iris
This native iris, commonly called northern blue flag, survived the flower eating deer long enough to bloom, maybe since they typically grow in the water or near the water edge.
Blooming Blue Flag
On June 12, 1899, a tornado hit the town of New Richmond in western Wisconsin, not too far from where I live. And while it wasn’t a huge tornado, it hit the afternoon of the first day of a circus and the deadly path claimed 117 lives and injured 150 others making it the 9th deadliest tornado in US history.
And two different tornado hit my home farm, each time it took down a barn, and both times it was on June 12, so when the skies darkened again this afternoon, I wondered if I should skedaddle out of the area.
Tornado Day
Sometimes after a rain storm, the sunset still has a bit of an eerie look and it doesn’t display cheery and bright colors.
Sunset After the Storm
Approaching a barn, with a cat at your feet, is bound to bring the barn swallows swooping out to scare you and the cat away, especially when they are nesting. So not only to you have to watch your feet so you don’t step on the cat, you have to duck the swooping bird and watch what you are standing under (since what goes in, must come out in a smelly form).
Baby Barn Swallows
Lunchtime for Baby Barn Swallows
https://youtu.be/aF3_xOQQB54&w=640&h=430&rel=0
The dry days this week have farmers scrambling to get field work done, including cutting and baling hay, before another rainy week starts tomorrow afternoon. And the haying method has changed over the years and baling large round bales is so different than the little hay bales that I had to stack on a wagon behind a square baler.
Making Large Round Hay Bales
Watch the haying process.
https://youtu.be/Mmu1nW1gEsY&w=640&h=430&rel=0
On these warmer days, it doesn’t take long for flowers to open and fade, like the irises. And some of the wild roses have open and dropped petals to ground already, their full glory lasting for only a glimpse of time.
Short Time in Glory
A sign that summer is approaching in the north, is when the wild roses begin to start to open up and those blossoms add more pink to the road ditches along with the wild geraniums.
Wild Roses Arriving
